The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-01-15

I
reindeer milk can do SO. He finds, after
he has tasted, it is not particularly attrac-
tive, even if he is not disguised with the
hairs floating in it.
Gas we had not arrived at Tromsoe at
the time when one of the steamboats, were
there the reindeer were not in the valley,
but were up the mountain. We arranged
to send to have them driven down to an
accessible point, and then rode up the val
ley hoping to meet them, but they did not
come. While we were waiting there was
very curious example of the mixture of
civilization and barbarism, for / saw one
of the Laps looking far up the valley to
see if he could not discover the reindeer
coming down the hillside, and aiding his
examination by the use of an opera glass.
The next day 300 of them came down.
ain sailing along the shore you con-
stantly see large churches placed close to
the water with no population around them
and no roads leading to them. A little
observation, particularly on Sunday, shows
you that they are placed at such positions
that the peasants can come to them by
boat, and they frequently come from long
distances. Near some of the churches
there are houses vacant except on Satur-
days and Sundays, when the peasants come
there and occupy them. Occasionally you
see picturesque marriage party on their
way to one of these churches in boats
shooting off guns as they pass along 1t
is little curious that even way up to the
North Cape you find mosquitoes, and ct
times they are very annoying; so much 50
that all the guide-books advise travellers to
take mosquito nets with them, but did
not happen to find that necessary. From
the North Cape, or from within few miles
of it, 1 amused myself by cabingto Amer
lea, and subsequently learned that my dis
patch was received earlier in point of time
than at the hour it was sent
"In riding along the roads you see a.
fixed intervals stones with inscriptions on
them more OF less extensive, sometimes
simply initials, and sometimes names with
numbers. These are placed there to show
who is bound as the owner ofthe land to keep
the road IN fepair and to keep it open in the
winter, and for what distance his obligation
extends. This duty so far as keeping the
roads in repair is concerned, is fulfilled most
admirably. From the snowplows which
you see turSed up along the road at IN
teryals I apprehend that keeping it open
il Winter is equally well attended to
This is a duty imposed on the farmers,
and only in exceptional cases is any com
pensation made for it. Hay is so scarce
to feed the stock in Winter that the Nor
wegians resort to what would seem to us
the most ridiculous economy, going over
every scattering patch along the road
side and the fields. 1t is cut with the
sickle and dried for hay. Owing to the
constant rains they haye what look like
fences or racks placed in their fields at all
sorts of angles, and when the grass is cut
it is twisted roughly over these fences
sufficiently tight to hold it there and yet
to let the wind blow readily through it so
as to dry itquickly.
"The roofs of many of the houses are
covered with turf for warmth, and you see
upon them frequently quite garden of
flowers which have sprung up. Sometimes
there are even small trees. Many of the
flowers in Norway remind one. as indeed
the whole landscape frequently does, of
New England. You see the dandelion, the
buttercup, the gentian, and various other
familiar flowers in the fields. In their
windows, both in town and country, the
Norwegians have wealth of flowers that
sets you wondering how they can raise them
in such beauty and profusion. [ presume
the absenee-o furnaces and gas has much
to>do with their success as horticulturists.